Top 10: Famous Wine Regions

Number 7

Southeastern Australia

Thanks to several affordable dinner and dessert wines, winemakers in Southeast Australia have taken the American market by storm. Here's your chance to pay a visit to the place where the magic begins, and there a lot of wineries to choose from in this vast region. At the award-winning Penfolds Grange (which owns about 1,200 acres of vineyards), for instance, you can go on a tasting frenzy as over two dozen Chardonnays, Sauvignons, Shirazes, and fortified wines are poured out for you.

Near Sydney, you'll find amazing Pinot Noirs, while vineyards in the Yarra Valley (Victoria's oldest vineyard region) offer numerous sparkling wines. In fact, wherever you go in this fertile land, you'll stumble on over 50 great wineries to sample from. Some even stray from the traditional and produce concoctions like kiwifruit wine, which is definitely worth a try.

Must-do: Start the day off with a sunrise balloon ride and complete breakfast, followed by a complete tour of the wineries in Port Phillip, Victoria.

Number 6

Maipo Valley, Chile

Known for its quality and inexpensive red wines, Chile is worthy of a visit for its wineries alone. The most common grapes found here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir. Depending on where they are grown in the Maipo Valley, these bottles can be full-bodied, light or fruity.

Visit wineries like Santa Rita and you'll see why Chileean product is world-renowned; each part of the winemaking process is meticulous, producing an excellent drink year round (the Santa Rita vineyard currently exports about 340,000 cases a year to the U.S.).

Must-see: The Concha y Toro facility in Puente Alto, where it is believed that South America's best red wines are produced.

Number 5

Veneto, Italy

Tuscany may hold the prestige of Italian winemaking, but Veneto does all the legwork as the country's leader in classified wine production. With incredible Venice as the major city in the area, there is no drawback to visiting Veneto. You'll find only the best fruity and dry wines here — Soave, Recioto and Valpolicella are typical of what is made in the area.

More familiar tastes lie northeast of Venice, where Merlot and Cabernet grapes generate some great reds, and the Chardonnay products are gaining ground as a popular white wine. The most attractive aspect to the Veneto region is that there are always treasures to discover, be it the bubbly Prosecco white or the sweet Torcolato.

Must-see: The Provolo Winery, with a selection of full-bodied red wines and fruity dessert wines.